Environment

ENVIRONMENTBy: Zach Fickett

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GLOBAL WARMING
What is global warming?
Global warming is the average global temperature increase in the atmosphere over the last 50 years. All but one of the last 16 years have been the hottest in history and this global temperature is accelerating very quickly.

• The green house effect is one major cause of global warming. The green house effect is when sunlight and solar radiation enter the atmosphere and bounce off the earth but cant leave because of all the air pollutants. These air pollutants and other greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere which traps the heat inside the atmosphere. This in turn makes the planet hotter.

  https://scentofpine.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/greenhouse_effect2.jpg

• Many of these pollutants come from the burning of fossil fuels. Coal burning accounts for the biggest polluter of these fuels. The burning of these fuels lets of 2 billion tons of CO2 every year. Transportation emissions accounts for 1.7billion tons of CO2 every year.

Effects of Global Warming

• Increased risk of wild fires in the American west
• Melting glaciers which will lead to flooding in Florida and gulf of Mexico
• Severe droughts that will cause water shortages
• Troublesome new pests
• Heat waves and heavy downpours
• Disruption of habitats
• Animal extinction
• More allergies/ asthma due to increased pollen and higher levels of air pollution
• More infectious disease outbreaks

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Main Contributors of Global Warming

• Right now China accounts for 28% of CO2 emissions and is the leader
• 2nd is the United States
• 3rd and 4th would be Europe and India

Prevention/Solution

1. Power your home with renewable energy (companies that use wind or solar).
2. Invest in energy efficient appliances
3. Buy better light bulbs
4. Drive fuel efficient vehicles
5. maintain those vehicles so they don't have to work as hard
6. Drive less by using public transportation
7. Speak up about Global Warming

Resources:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePVaTCTTcf0



Water Pollution
What is water pollution?
Water pollution occurs when bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and oceans are polluted by toxic substances that just pile up or collect in them. When all this garbage or toxic substances enter bodies of water it reduces the quality of water. The polluted water also seeps into our ground water which makes up for much of our drinking water.

Causes for water pollution

• Sewage and wastewater
• Industrial waste
• Oil spills
• Marine dumping
• Radioactive waste
• Underground sewage leakages

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Dangers of water pollution

1. Heavy metals can accumulate in lakes and rivers which is toxic to many different marine life and also to humans that eat those fish. These metals can slow development causes birth defects and some can even be carcinogenic.
2. The health of aquatic animals is also affected by toxic industrial waste. The effects of this industrial waste can be immune suppression, reproductive failure, and acute poisoning. Some can even be fatal.
3. Sewage pollutants often cause infectious diseases that harm aquatic life and terrestrial life that drink the water. This is a mayor problem in the developing world because many poor countries don't have great sewage systems.
4. Suspended materials in the water can really reduce the quality of water for marine life and humans as well. These materials can block the sunlight penetrating the water disrupting the growth of photosynthetic plants and micro organisms.
5. Destruction of ecosystems

6. Image result for water pollution

   
   
   

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Ways of Prevention

• Conserve water by turning of the tap when not using it. The will help reduce water shortages causing less polluted water to be treated.
• Be aware of what your putting down the drain. Refrain from putting oil or any litter down the drain.
• Use environmentally household products
• Do not overuse pesticides or fertilizers because they can seep into the groundwater
• Don't throw litter into rivers or lakes and try and clean up trash on the beach

Resources
http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/webfieldtrips/water_pollution/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-M-klrHjk

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Taylor Alexander & Brittany Tinaglia
Oil Spills

• Oil spill: an oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, is a form of pollution
• Oil spills are a form of pollution
• Oil spills can happen on land and water
• Both forms of pollution can cause great damage to the environment in the form of air, land or water pollution.
• Creates a shiny substance, and makes it hard for marine animals to survive
• Oil spills can be created by man-made factors and by tectonic events.
• The worst spill in history is not the Exxon Valdez spill as once thought. The undersea spill at the BP rig in the Gulf of Mexico is now thought to have spilled up to 39 million gallons of oil.
  • The Deepwater Horizon
  • The Deepwater Horizon, was an oil rig located in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • It exploded in April of 2010.
  • This is one of BP's biggest oil disasters.
  • The explosion dumped 210 million gallons of oil.
  • The effect on the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding communities is felt to this day.
  • If you do the math for the BP oil spill, it can be a little frightening. While the average oil spill has dumped better than 40 million gallons of oil at one time into the ocean, the BP spill dumped 200 million gallons a day for 87 days.
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLiqvZOP8TY
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-UPJyEHmM0

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Overpopulation

• Overpopulation: an increase in births (fertility rate), a decline in the mortality rate, an increase in immigration, or a lack of education
• The population of the planet is reaching unsustainable levels as it faces shortage of resources like water, fuel and food
• Intensive agriculture is being practiced to produce food damages in the environment through use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides.
• it is estimated that by 2025, more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability and human demand for water will account for 70% of all available freshwater.
• In the past 50 or so years, the growth of population has boomed and has turned into overpopulation.
• In the history of our species, the birth and death rate have always been able to balance each and maintain a population growth rate that is sustainable.
• Since the Bubonic Plague in the 1400s, the growth of population has been on a constant increase.

• https://youtu.be/qYubZVjO8hA

Causes of Overpopulation

• Decline in Death Rates
• Better Medical Facilities
• More hands to overcome poverty
• Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment
• Immigration
• Lack of Family Planning

Effects Of Overpopulation

• Rise in Unemployment
• Conflicts and Wars
• High Cost of Living
• Depletion of Natural Resources
• Degradation of Environment
• Lower Life Expectancy In the Fastest Growing Countries
• Elevated Crime Rate
• Increased Global Warming and Climate Change
• Less Freedom, More Restrictions

Solutions to Overpopulation

• Better Education
• Making People Aware of Family Planning
• Tax Benefits and Concessions
• Knowledge of Sex Education

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Waste Disposal

• Waste Disposal: removing and destroying or storing damaged, used or other unwanted domestic, agricultural or industrial products, and substances.
• The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics are creating a global crisis of waste disposal.
• Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans, and less developed countries.
• Nuclear waste has tremendous health issues associated with it. Plastic, fast food, packaging and cheap electronic wastes threaten the well being of humans.
• Disposal includes burning, burial at landfill sites or at sea, and recycling
• The presence of waste is an indication of overconsumption and that materials are not being used efficiently.This is carelessly reducing the Earths capacity to supply new raw materials in the future.
• The capacity of the natural environment to absorb and process these materials is also under stress.
• Valuable resources in the form of matter and energy are lost during waste disposal, requiring that a greater burden be placed on ecosystems to provide these.
• Waste disposal is one of urgent current environmental problems.

Environmental Effects

• Surface Water Contamination: waste that ends up in water bodies negatively change the chemical composition of the water
• Soil Contamination: hazardous chemicals that get into the soil can harm plants when they take up the contamination through their roots
• Pollution: bad waste management practices can result in land and air pollution and can cause respiratory problems and other adverse health effects as contaminates arrears absorbed from the lungs into other parts of the body

What can we do?

• Waste minimization is an approach that aims to reduce the production of waste through education and the adoption of improved production processes and less wasteful practices.
• Recycling, by separating certain materials within the waste stream and reprocessing them. The recycling of many materials is currently not financially viable.
• Waste processing is treatment and recovery (use) of materials or energy from waste through thermal, chemical, or biological means.

https://youtu.be/YGBpHYLNtRA








Resources:
http://www.everythingconnects.org/overpopulation-effects.html
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-overpopulation.php
http://www.fullcycle.co.za/index.php/what-is-waste-and-why-is-it-a-problem.html

INSTRUCTIONS- ENVIRONMENT

This assignment can include a variety of interesting information. Some suggestions: Choose a few and discuss how they affect our us in our daily lives. mountain top mining non gas style of cars- electrical, hybrids noise pollution global warming acid rain oil spills recyling
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Resourses
http://www.livescience.com/22728-pollution-facts.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hl9WKT02Kw https://www.pinterest.com/mrsshaunapaul/diy-recycled-projects/ http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/recycling.html